Helping Hands
by NCISVU
Summary: The Bureau of Spec Ops gets a helping hand in the search for a missing, endangered child. Fourth in the Red Tide Series. See warnings inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **This story will deal with child pornography and some other child sexual abuse. It doesn't get too graphic but be aware.

**Helping Hands**

**Chapter One: Bumpy Beginnings**

Tony was slouched over on the sectional, one leg flopped over the arm of the couch and the other shaking with excess energy as he watched the morning news. Rapes, robberies, wars, scandals, the twelfth annual Waikiki Spam Jam Festival—same stories, different day. He'd just started zoning out when a pair of boxing gloves landed in his lap. He looked up to see Gibbs standing there, his silver chest hairs shimmering in the well lit room and contrasting nicely with the black athletic shorts he had on.

"Let's play," the older man said.

Tony smiled from ear to ear and pulled the boxing gloves on as he followed Gibbs out to the beach. "No headgear?" he asked as Gibbs pulled his gloves on too.

"Will you fight fair?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah," Tony said.

"Good, I will too."

The two started moving around an invisible circle in the sand. Gibbs threw a couple punches which Tony easily deflected then Tony did the same. Both of them watched their opponent closely. They'd had extensive close combat training and both were anxious to show their skills and learn what the other was made of. They hadn't had an opportunity to get in the ring yet, of course not having a ring to get into made things even more challenging.

On one hand they enjoyed the privacy and having so much property to themselves but on the other hand they were looking forward to having a base gym and shooting range and all the other amenities they'd grown accustomed to in their military careers.

Gibbs was the first one to lunge at Tony. He wrapped the younger man up and the two struggled for dominance before Gibbs got Tony on the ground and managed to get him pinned. Tony struggled to break away but quickly realized it was futile and tapped out.

"You're good," he panted, standing and taking his position across from Gibbs again.

"So are you," Gibbs said.

The two started again and Tony didn't waste any time going after Gibbs. He wrestled him to the ground and Gibbs put up a good fight but Tony finally gained the upper hand. Like Tony had, Gibbs also struggled to break free. It had been awhile since he'd gone up against someone who actually held a light to him. Most of the time he took his opponents down easily. When he realized he wasn't going to be able to get free, he wiggled his hand around until he could grab onto Tony's crotch. Tony's eyes grew wide and he shrieked at the playful, intimate squeeze.

"You are so not playing fair," he objected, looking lustfully at his partner. He was torn between wanting to continue to wrestle and wanting things to turn a little more heated with the man he loved so much. Before he could choose, both their pagers went off.

"Bryce has the worst timing," Tony grumbled. He knew it had to be Bryce. The Deputy Attorney General was the only one who ever paged them and the only reason he ever paged them was because they had a case. A case meant playtime was over, regretfully.

"To be continued," Gibbs said.

"I should sit on top of you until you tap out," Tony grumbled.

"Why don't you?"

"Because I know we'd be here all day and with your hands current location, I'd probably end up being the one to tap out and when I say tap out I mean beg you to roll me over and fuck me right into the sand."

Gibbs smirked and took Tony's offered hand. Tony pulled his lover up and they headed into the house, brushing as much of the sand off their bodies as they could. After grabbing their shirts they went into the war room and brought Bryce up on the big screen.

"What can we do for you?" Tony asked, running his fingers through his hair in an attempt to straighten it. He hadn't looked in the mirror and was hoping he didn't look completely out of sorts for the video conference with their boss.

"I have your next assignment and it's a unique one," Bryce said. "I'm sending you two a helper."

"Helper, Sir?" Gibbs asked. He and Tony were still getting used to working with each other. He wasn't sure how thrilled he was about someone else being added to their team, no matter how temporary it was.

"Her name's Abby," Bryce said. "She's a little bit of an odd duck but I think you'll both like her. You'll need her computer expertise for this case."

"What's the case?" Tony asked.

"Two years ago a four year old little girl, Teagan, disappeared from her home in San Francisco. The local police and FBI investigated, hoping to find the girl, expecting a body but nothing ever turned up. A few months after she went missing hundreds of pictures of her were found on the hard drive of a computer belonging to a known child pornographer. We worked feverishly trying locate her but lost her trail shortly after it appeared."

"Is the trail hot again?" Tony asked, doing his best to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut.

"Yes and we're not going to let him get away again," Bryce said. "More pictures have shown up and have been traced back to a computer somewhere in Europe. Abby's damn good at her job. She can help with the computer forensics aspect of the case. I'm counting on the three of you to bring little Teagan home and the perpetrator to justice."

"Is Abby coming here or are we video conferencing with her?" Gibbs asked.

"She'll arrive at Honolulu International Airport at 1900 hours today," Bryce answered. "One of you will need to pick her up but did put her up in a hotel room. I'll fax you the rest of the information."

The three said their goodbyes then the screen went black and the fax machine started ringing with an incoming message.

"LJ, any chance we can wait to continue what we started earlier?" Tony asked.

"I'd prefer it," Gibbs said.

* * *

"Okay, what do we wanna get to eat?" Gibbs asked as he pushed a cart through the entrance of the grocery store. They'd cleaned the house then decided to go shopping for their guest. Their cupboards were once again bare.

"I think chicks from the city eat a lot of salads," Tony said.

"Salad, that's good," Gibbs agreed. "Grab some of that lettuce."

"Maybe we should get something a little fancier."

"Fancier?" Gibbs asked. "It's lettuce. Lettuce is lettuce."

Tony picked up a head of romaine lettuce and waved it in Gibbs' face. "This is a lot fancier than that ugly head of lettuce over there."

"Fine," Gibbs grumbled, grabbing it and dropping it into their cart.

"You're supposed to put it in a bag," Tony said. Gibbs glared at him and Tony glared right back. Tony knew Gibbs wasn't going to budge so he reached up and grabbed a produce bag. "Or I suppose I could do it."

"If you'd gotten the lettuce I suggested you wouldn't have to put it in a bag 'cause it's already in one."

"Really?" Tony asked. "Are we gonna keep arguing over the stupid lettuce or can we drop it now?"

"You're the one that keeps talking about it," Gibbs said.

Tony gasped dramatically. "I am not!"

Gibbs smirked and bumped shoulders with Tony. It was a bit ridiculous to be arguing over a head of lettuce but they'd argued over stupider things than that. "What else?" he asked.

"Um… tomatoes," Tony said. "No, wait, cherry tomatoes! We don't have to cut those."

"Perfect," Gibbs said. "How about some of those croutons?"

"I don't know," Tony said. "Croutons… bread… carbs… chicks are weird about carbs."

"Yeah, but if we're stuck eating salad I want croutons."

"Good point," Tony said tossing a bag of croutons into the cart. "What else?"

"I don't know," Gibbs said. "What do you put in your salad?"

"I hardly ever eat salad," Tony said. "What do you put in yours?"

"I don't eat 'em either," Gibbs said as he pushed the cart around the fruit and vegetable section. "Onions," he suggested stopping by the rather large selection.

"Onions are good," Tony said, "but what kind?"

"I have no idea," Gibbs said. "I didn't realize there were this many different kinds."

"Do you guys need help?" one of the store associates asked.

"Yeah," Tony said, "if you were making a salad, which onion would you put in it?"

The clerk peeked into their cart before answering. "If you're making a lettuce salad I'd probably go with a red, sweet onion," she said pointing out the ones she was talking about.

"Thank you," Gibbs said.

The clerk helped them select a few other things then the guys thanked her and headed off to the meat counter.

"Can I help you?"

"Give me four of those New York strip please," Gibbs said.

"What are you doing?" Tony asked. "You can't put steak in salad."

"This is for us to eat after she goes to her hotel," Gibbs said.

"Oh, good idea," Tony said with a smile. "We can be all sophisticated and then eat some real food."

"Exactly," Gibbs said as he took the meat from the man behind the counter. He thanked him then they continued on their way.

The cart slowly filled with cereal and snacks, juice, beer and wine, side dishes and desserts. When they were satisfied they had everything they needed, they checked out, loaded up Tony's Mustang and headed back to the house.

"You wanna go pick this chick up together or just one of us or what were you thinking?" Tony asked as he backed into their driveway.

"I'm thinking you probably shouldn't refer to her as a chick to her face," Gibbs said.

"Oh, I know. I won't. What's her name again?"

"Abby. I'm not sure how to pronounce her last name. Let's hope we don't have to try."

"Abby," Tony repeated. "I think I can remember that."

"Let's go to the airport together," Gibbs said. "The house is clean and it's a beautiful night to be out."

"Together it is," Tony said with a smile. "I'll let you drive since the Jeep has four doors and there'll be three of us coming back."

The two unloaded the groceries and put them away then headed out again. It was a forty five drive to the airport and Gibbs was right, it was a beautiful evening. The airport was a little less crowded at night. Most of the tourists had arrived earlier in the day and had already been picked up. The busier part of the airport in the evening was the departures but that was on the opposite side of where Gibbs and Tony were headed.

"What do you think Bryce meant by 'odd duck'?" Tony asked as they walked into the airport.

"Don't know," Gibbs said. "He said he thought we'd like her."

"He barely knows us," Tony pointed out. "How would he know if we're gonna like her?"

"He probably knows us a lot better than we think," Gibbs said. "I doubt they randomly chose two guys they knew very little about to do this job."

"Good point. You're doctor friend should be coming soon too, right?"

"Ducky? Yeah," Gibbs said, "he should be here within the next week or two."

"Are we gonna have a problem sharing the house with him?" Tony asked. "I mean, he's not gonna like be grossed out if we kiss or hold hands or cuddle up in front of a movie or anything, is he?"

"He'd probably be uncomfortable if we went all the way in front of him but he won't have a problem with us being together," Gibbs answered.

"Good," Tony said, "because I refuse to keep my hands and lips and other body parts to myself."

"As long as I'm the only one you're sharing those body parts with," Gibbs said.

"Always."

Gibbs leaned over and stole a quick kiss before the two found the monitors announcing the upcoming arrivals. They figured out which gate Abby was coming in at and headed off to meet her.

* * *

Abby was so excited to be visiting the islands she had to remind herself to be calm and act normal, or at least what society would define as normal. She wasn't one who cared much about what others thought but she was a little nervous about meeting and working with the two federal agents. It was a far cry from the computer crimes job at the small police department she was currently working at. She was determined to be a calmer version of herself until she figured out a little more about them.

She waited as patiently as she could for her turn to get off the plane, happy to finally be able to stretch her legs after the long flight. She grabbed her carryon bag then filed out with all the others. She made her way out of the secure area of the airport and looked carefully at the mob of people waiting to greet the other passengers. She had no idea what either of the guys looked like.

Standing off from the crowd a little bit were two guys that looked fairly hardcore. They looked kind of like bad ass special agents, at least more so than any of the others standing around so she headed towards them. When she got closer, she noticed the younger one was holding a small piece of paper that read 'Abby S.' and smiled at them as she made her way over to them.

"Are you Abby?" Tony asked.

"That's me," Abby said. "Abby S."

"Couldn't remember how to spell you last name," Tony said with a chuckle. "The sign was kind of a last minute idea."

"It did the trick," Abby said. "Got me to you guys."

"I'm Tony, this is LJ."

"I'm Abby, obviously."

"Welcome," Gibbs said. "Do you have checked bags?"

"Yeah, I have one," Abby said. "I couldn't fit everything in my carryon no matter how hard I tried."

The group followed the signs to the baggage claim area and waited with the others for the belt to start moving and the luggage to start coming out. Gibbs and Tony were both subtly checking Abby out while she did the same to them. Abby was obviously Goth, considering the way she was dressed but she seemed outgoing and happy and those weren't two traits the guys usually associated with Goths. She was definitely different. They weren't quite sure what to make of her yet.

Abby discovered Gibbs and Tony were nothing like she'd expected them to be. Gibbs kind of was. He seemed tough but he was quiet. He looked like the kind of guy you didn't want to mess with. Tony was a lot more outgoing. He looked like he liked to have fun and be adventurous, the kind of guy Abby would befriend instantly.

"So, how long have you guys been living here?" Abby asked. "If I ask anything classified just tell me to shut up because sometimes I just don't know what's okay to ask and what's not and I kinda have a tendency to ramble."

"Do you always talk so fast?" Gibbs asked.

"Are you always this quiet?"

Tony smiled at the exchange. "He kinda is but he makes his words count," he answered for Gibbs.

"I try not to talk too fast but it happens sometimes when I'm nervous or excited and I'm both right now."

"No need to be nervous around us," Gibbs said. "And we've been here about two months."

"Wow, that's not long at all. I'm not really a big fan of the sun but I grew up in a swamp so I'm excited to see the sights. Not that I'm here on vacation. I'm here to help."

"We can show you around," Gibbs said. He liked Abby already. He had a good feeling about her. She seemed like the kind of person who could hold her own in any situation she was put in and wouldn't be afraid to challenge someone but she also had an endearing quality about her.

"Probably best to wait till tomorrow," Tony said. "It's too dark now to be able to see much of anything. Crap! You know what we forgot to do again, LJ?"

"Hmm?"

"We forgot to put the cover on the Jeep. We're gonna have to get better at remembering that."

"I'm totally fine with it, if that's what you're worried about," Abby said. "It'll be like riding in the back of a pickup truck. I used to do that all the time as a kid."

"Where'd you grow up?" Tony asked curiously. "A swamp would mean Southern Florida? Louisiana?"

"Louisiana," Abby said.

"Cool," Tony said. "I grew up in New York and a few other places in the Northeast. LJ grew up in a tiny town in Pennsylvania. I'm not really sure why I'm telling you all this."

Abby shrugged. "It's fine," she said. "We're getting to know each other."

"I think I see your bag coming," Tony said when he saw a suitcase adorned in skulls. "I hope that's not an offensive, stereotypical type thing to say."

Abby laughed. "It's fine. It is my bag."

"I'll grab it for you," Tony said before weaving his way through the crowd. He grabbed the suitcase then they headed for the exit. "So, are you Goth? Is that okay to ask?"

"You guys can ask me anything," Abby said. "I'm just a forensic scientist. I love the color black and skulls and stuff like that but it's not what defines me."

"Gotcha," Tony said.

"Have you had dinner yet, Abby?" Gibbs asked, lifting her suitcase into the back of the Jeep.

"No, they gave us a little snack on the plane but I wouldn't mind stopping for something to eat," Abby said.

"We bought groceries!" Tony said proudly. "We haven't had dinner yet either."

"Why don't we head back to the house and get something to eat then maybe do a little work tonight," Gibbs suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Tony said. "You cool with that, Abby?"

"Fine with me," Abby said. "I'll go with the flow. I don't really sleep much anyways so I'm cool with whatever."

Tony pointed out some of the sights as Gibbs drove. It was too dark to see much once they got out of the city but they were still enjoying themselves. Tony had immersed himself in the Hawaiian culture and loved sharing what he'd learned and Abby was soaking everything in. She was settling in a lot easier than she'd anticipated. Tony was fun and funny and helped her feel at ease and even though Gibbs was quiet she was enjoying his company as well. She was glad she'd agreed to help them.

"Here we are," Gibbs said as he parked in front of their house. He and Tony helped her with her bags despite her insisting she could get them. They showed her around then headed to the kitchen to get dinner started.

"Can we get you something to drink?" Tony offered as Abby sat down at the bar and watched.

"Sure," she said, "what do you have?"

"We have wine and water and milk and juice and soda—"

"Got any beer?"

Tony jerked his head towards Gibbs in surprise then looked back at Abby. "Yeah," he answered hesitantly. "We have wine too though. Did I mention that?"

"Um, beer would be my first choice but wine's okay too," Abby said.

Gibbs reached over and smacked the back of Tony's head, trying to get him to snap out of it. They'd been wrong in assuming Abby would want wine instead of beer but he didn't want Tony to make a fool of either of them. "Get the girl a beer," he said.

"You know what that does to me," Tony muttered, glaring at Gibbs.

Gibbs smirked and glanced down at the front of Tony's pants. There was definitely a little bulge forming but not as big as the first time he'd head slapped him.

Abby watched with confused amusement but didn't ask. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Just make yourself at home," Gibbs said as Tony cracked a beer open and slid it down the counter to her.

Abby snatched the beer before it could slide by and held it out towards Tony. "Thanks," she said before take a drink.

The small talk continued while Gibbs and Tony chopped vegetables for the salad. Abby was easy to talk to and she actually had interesting things to say. In a sense it was meaningless conversation but it was also an intelligent, rewarding conversation.

Once they were finished making the salads, Gibbs put them on the bar while Tony got the croutons and salad dressing out. Abby looked at the salad then giggled at the guys.

"What?" Gibbs asked.

"I highly doubt you two sit around drinking wine and eating salads," Abby said. She was clearly amused and honored that they'd gone to all through trouble for her but it wasn't necessary and she didn't want the whole visit to go like that. "What would you be eating if I wasn't here?"

"Probably steak," Gibbs answered.

"Then let's have steak!" Abby said. "Don't get me wrong! The salads look delicious and I am definitely gonna enjoy mine but in case you haven't noticed, I'm not your typical city chick."

"You eat red meat?" Tony asked.

"I love red meat," Abby answered. "There's nothing better than a big, fat, juicy steak and an ice cold beer after a long day."

"You're awesome," Tony said. "LJ, fire up the grill! We're having steak tonight."

Gibbs smiled and nodded his approval at the turn of events. They'd totally misjudged Abby but she seemed to be cool with it. She appreciated the effort they'd put into it instead of getting after them for getting everything wrong. He definitely liked her and could see that Tony did as well.

They all headed out back and enjoyed their salads while they waited for the grill to heat up and the steaks to cook.

"Can I light the tiki torches?" Abby asked as she finished up her salad.

Gibbs pulled his Zippo out of his pocket and tossed it to her. "Go for it."

"We gotta be authentic," Abby said.

"If we were being authentic we'd be cooking in an underground oven and eating kahlua pig," Tony said.

"I'm looking forward to some steak," Abby said with a laugh as she lit the tiki torches.

Gibbs pulled the steaks off the grill then they all enjoyed another cold beer with their meal. After a bumpy beginning things had taken a turn for the better. All three of them were settling in and relaxing and just enjoying each other's company.

After dinner was cleaned up, they headed into the war room to get started on their case. It quickly became evident that the computer aspects of the case were far too complicated for both Gibbs and Tony but Abby knew exactly what to do. Pictures were tacked to the bulletin board, reports were gone over and maps were studied. The happy, carefree evening had turned serious and a bit depressing.

"When I signed up for this job I didn't think I'd be looking at child porn," Tony muttered.

"Is this your first case like this?" Abby asked.

"Yeah," Tony answered.

"Mine too," Abby said. "It feels wrong looking at this stuff."

"Not to mention sickening," Tony said.

"Just remember we're helping Teagan," Gibbs said. He didn't like it anymore than them but it was a necessary part of their job.

"And try not throw up while you think about what other people are doing with these pictures," Tony added.

"I think that's enough for tonight," Gibbs said. They'd managed to get their case laid out and it was getting late. "We'll start again tomorrow. Abby, you're more than welcome to stay here with us or we can take you to the hotel. It's up to you."

"You guys really don't mind if I stay?" Abby asked.

"It'd be easier," Tony said. "Less time running back and forth between here and the hotel. Plus it's a lot homier here. We have food and full size bathrooms and we have a pool and a hot tub so it's like being at home and in a hotel."

Abby giggled at Tony's analyses. "I'll stay. Thank you."

"Anybody wanna go swimming?" Tony asked. He didn't want to try to go to sleep so soon after looking at those pictures. A refreshing dip in the pool always relaxed him.

"I do," Abby said. "Which room should I take? I need to get changed."

"Come on," Tony said. "I'll show you." He walked her across the living room and flipped the light on in both spare bedrooms. "You can have either one of these."

"But where do you sleep?" Abby asked. "Where does LJ sleep?"

Tony swallowed hard. This would be a true test of how their friendship with Abby was going to play out. "He and I share the master bedroom."

"Oh. OH! I didn't realize you guys were gay... are you gay?"

"We're both bi," he said, "but we're in a relationship."

"That's cool," Abby said with a genuine smile that immediately put Tony at ease. "I'm happy for you guys."

"Thanks," Tony said. "If you're not cool with it, that's okay."

"I'm totally cool with it!" Abby said. "Now get outta here and let me put my bathing suit on. Are you gonna make LJ join us?"

"I'll try," Tony said.

The two shared a laugh then Tony went off in search of Gibbs while Abby changed. He found him standing in their bedroom in the dark, staring out at the ocean.

"Hey," he said quietly as he stepped up behind Gibbs and wrapped his arm around his waist. "Something's bothering you. I can tell."

"Just this case," Gibbs said quietly. "I don't understand why the evil has to touch innocent children. Nobody should have to deal with something like this but a child? I just… I don't know."

"I know," Tony said. "I understand what you're saying but we are helping. You said it earlier."

"I wish we could do more. I wish we could help 'em all. I wish we could stop it from happening."

"Me too," Tony said, "but right now we're doing all we can. We may be bad ass federal agents but we can't rid the world of all evil singlehandedly. Will you go swimming with us? Might help you relax, take your mind off things."

"I think I'll soak in the hot tub for a little while," Gibbs said. He turned in Tony's arms and shared a kiss and a smile with his lover. It was nice to have someone to talk to about difficult cases, especially since he didn't have a basement with a boat in it like he'd had in DC.

"Abby knows about us," Tony said stripping out of his clothes. "I wasn't thinking when I let her pick which room. She figured out that only left one room for us so I just told her. She's cool with it though."

"Good. She woulda figured it out at bedtime anyways. If she still likes us after we screwed up just about everything we did tonight I don't think we're gonna scare her away."

"Let's just not screw anything else up," Tony said. He pulled his board shorts on and fastened them then turned and looked at Gibbs. "Come on, get changed, let's go have a little fun before bedtime."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Let's Move**

Tony knew he was being watched before he even opened his eyes. He and Gibbs had had a lot of fun with Abby the night before but he knew he'd probably stayed up later than he should have. He opened his eyes and looked over at Gibbs who was lying on his side staring at him.

"What're you doin'?" he asked groggily.

"You always complain when I get out of bed before you wake up," Gibbs said.

"I don't like waking up alone," Tony said before a big yawn.

"Well, I'm here."

"I appreciate that and you know how much I enjoy our morning workout routine but after looking at all that child porn last night I'm not much in the mood."

"That's okay," Gibbs said, smiling down at Tony. "I'm not either."

The two shared a loving kiss before getting up and heading into the bathroom for a shower. Tony turned on both showers to start warming up then wrapped his arms around Gibbs, wanting to be close.

"You alright?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah," Tony said. "Does something have to be wrong for me to wanna hug my lover?"

"No," Gibbs said dropping a kiss on Tony's head. "You just seem extra cuddly this morning."

"I just wanna be close," Tony said.

Gibbs walked them into the shower, keeping Tony tucked up against him. He was enjoying being close too. He wasn't ready to let go yet. Tony turned his head and pressed a kiss to Gibbs' collarbone. He nipped and kissed Gibbs' neck before nestling his nose into Gibbs' shoulder.

It was nice to just be affectionate. The two shared a passionate kiss then Tony unwrapped himself from Gibbs and grabbed the body wash and a washcloth. He lathered it up and started running it over Gibbs' body.

"I didn't realize I was gonna get the full treatment," Gibbs said.

"I can go over to my own side if you want," Tony said.

"You're not going anywhere."

The two took their time washing each other, sharing passing kisses and loving caresses. They would've been happy to spend longer in the shower but they had a job to do so once they were done bathing each other, Gibbs turned the water off and they stepped out. They got dressed then headed out to see if Abby was awake yet. They found her sitting on the couch reading the newspaper.

"Morning," she said. "I hope you guys don't mind, I got your paper off the porch."

"It's fine," Gibbs said. "Anything exciting happening?"

"There's a festival thingy... Waikiki Spam Jam?"

Both Gibbs and Tony just laughed which confused Abby even more.

"Hawaiians have some weird thing about spam," Tony explained. "We have a cupboard full of it if you're interested."

"I've had spam before," Abby said, "but it was usually when we couldn't afford real meat. I don't have anything against it but, well, I don't know."

"We know what you mean," Gibbs said. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"No, I wanted to wait for you guys."

"Wait's over," Tony said. "Let's eat!"

"We've got cereal," Gibbs said, "or we can make some pancakes or eggs or something like that."

"Cereal's fine," Abby said. "I don't usually eat much in the mornings."

"You sound like LJ," Tony said with a laugh. "He just mainlines coffee."

"Whatever works," Abby said.

"When we're talking about LJ, coffee is always the answer."

"Damn straight," Gibbs said.

Tony and Abby poured themselves a bowl of frosted flakes and settled in at the table. Gibbs brewed a pot of coffee before joining them. They enjoyed a peaceful breakfast before heading into the war room to get back to work.

"Who's ready to look at more kiddy porn?" Tony asked sarcastically as he opened his work email. "Bryce emailed me. Looks like more pictures popped up overnight."

"Good," Abby said.

Both men turned and gave her a strange look.

"Might help me get a location," Abby explained.

"I'll email them to you," Tony said as he flipped through the photos. "What's your email address?"

"Hold on," Gibbs said, "go back." He was looking at the pictures over Tony's shoulder. "Look out that window in the background. That's the Main Tower in Frankfurt, Germany."

"Are you sure?" Tony asked. "You can only see part of it."

"I'm positive," Gibbs said. "There was an Army base in Frankfurt, closed in the '90s I think, but I used to go to the mall there."

"You went to a mall?"

"There weren't a lot of shopping options," Gibbs said.

"Is there any way we can find out when these pictures were taken and where the computer is that uploaded them, Abs?" Tony asked.

"If we're lucky," Abby said as she shoed Tony out of the chair and started typing furiously on the computer.

Gibbs and Tony watched as Abby scrolled through pages of data neither of them could comprehend.

"The where is going to take awhile," Abby said, "but according to the date stamp they were uploaded yesterday evening."

"Keep scrolling through the photos," Gibbs said. "Maybe something in the background'll give us another hint."

"'kay," Abby said.

All three of them studied the pictures, searching for any clues as to when they were taken. Just because they were in Frankfurt at one point, didn't mean they were still there.

"There's a newspaper stand," Tony said excitedly as he pointed at one of the photos.

Abby zoomed in and did her best to sharpen the image but there was no way she could get close enough to read the date. "Way too blurry," she said regretfully.

"Keep going," Gibbs said.

Abby continued scrolling, all of them searching for clues.

"Stop," Gibbs said. He pointed at a sign on a restaurant in the picture.

"It's in German. What does it say?" Tony asked.

"Opening ceremony this weekend," Gibbs said. "Let's see when Holtzmann's Kaffeehaus had their grand opening."

Abby opened the internet and searched for the restaurant only to find the website was in German.

"How good is your German?" Tony asked.

Gibbs scanned the screen. "The grand opening is this weekend," he said. "Those pictures had to have been taken within the week or the sign wouldn't say this weekend."

"I'll call Ace," Tony said pulling his phone out.

"Pack up," Gibbs said patting Abby's back. "Let's move."

"I thought I'd stay here and get a jump on his location," Abby said.

"You can stay here if you want but we have all the technology to track him on the plane," Gibbs said.

"You guys have your own plane?" Abby asked.

"Yep," Gibbs said, "and a pilot."

"Cool," Abby said. "I've always wanted to go to Germany."

While Ace was at the small airfield doing preflight checks, Gibbs, Tony and Abby packed their gear then headed out. It would be a long flight and they needed to get going as soon as possible.

"Everybody ready?" Gibbs asked.

"Yep," Abby said.

"I think so," Tony said.

Gibbs locked up the door and they piled into the Jeep.

"Do you think JT will be there?" Tony asked.

"Probably," Gibbs said. "It's gonna be a long flight."

"Ace is our pilot and JT's the co-pilot," Tony explained to Abby. "JT used to fly with the Blue Angels."

"Wow! That's awesome," Abby said. "I went to one of their shows in Virginia Beach a few years ago. They rock!"

"Maybe we can get JT to do a couple tricks in the gulfstream," Tony joked.

"Unlikely," Gibbs said.

"Aw, LJ doesn't like that idea," Tony said.

"LJ doesn't wanna be throwing up," Gibbs said.

After introductions and getting everything onto the plane, the group departed the small airfield and headed for Frankfurt. Abby booted up the laptop and got busy tracking the photos while Gibbs studied the hard copies they'd printed out and Tony checked out the area they were headed to. Long plane trips were always good for researching.

"There're shelves with a lot of stuff in the background of this picture," Gibbs said, holding the photograph out for the others to see. "Not easy to just pick up and move. I'm guessing this is a permanent location."

"Let's hope so," Tony said. "As soon as we start nosing around they're gonna run. It'd be nice if we could just catch them off guard."

"That's probably the only way we'll be able to be able to get him or them or whatever sick pervert is behind all this," Gibbs said. "We're gonna have to move carefully."

"When we find them, how are you guys gonna get the girl out?" Abby asked.

"Depends on the circumstances," Gibbs said.

"We'll assess the situation and figure out the safest way to get her," Tony said.

"I can't imagine someone using a child like that," Abby said sadly. "This world is messed up."

"It sure is," Gibbs said. "You got a location yet?"

"It's gonna take a couple hours to trace the IP address back," Abby said. "He tried to hide his tracks. He's good but I'm better."

Gibbs smiled, pleased with her confidence. Any concerns he may have had about her being assigned to the team for this case were gone. She was fun to be around, smart and easy to talk to.

"There're lots of hotels in Frankfurt," Tony said. "We shouldn't have any trouble finding a place to stay. I'm assuming we wanna wait till we get on the ground and find a hotel that's close to where the girl is?"

"You're assuming correctly," Gibbs said. "Abby, is there any way to find out if he has more kids with him? Can you check other kiddy porn pictures and see if the IP addresses match?"

"I can't do a general search if that's what you mean," Abby said. "If there's a specific picture I can check its data."

"What're thinkin', LJ?" Tony asked.

"Just wondering how many kids have been his victim and if he has more than one with him."

"I think we all know the answer to that," Tony said. "We're just gonna have to make sure he never hurts another kid again."

Gibbs and Tony shared a devious smile. That could definitely be arranged. The guy would be getting off easy compared to what he'd put his victims through but Gibbs and Tony could help his victims get a little justice.

* * *

Once they were on the ground in Frankfurt, the group didn't waste any time heading to the Main Tower. It was a bustling city much like you'd find in any state in the US. There was a healthy mix of tourists and locals scurrying about. Gibbs, Tony and Abby blended in nicely. Gibbs parked their rental car near the tower and they got out and looked around.

"Based on the angle, these pictures were taken from somewhere over there," Tony said pointing to a group of buildings behind them.

"Let's go," Gibbs said.

They walked around until they found the right angle of the tower and ended up in front of a high rise apartment building.

"I'm thinking these were taken from the third or fourth floor," Tony said, looking from the picture to the tower, "maybe even the fifth."

Gibbs looked around at their options and realized there weren't many. There were apartments lining one side of the street and businesses lining the other side. Several buildings down there was a hotel that would give them limited visibility of the apartment building they were guessing their suspect was living in.

"Let's see if we can get a north facing room in that hotel," Gibbs said.

"Looks nicer than that hostel we stayed in in Columbia," Tony said, "although that's not saying much considering how crappy that place was."

"You guys went to Columbia?" Abby asked as they walked.

"Yep, we were there last week," Tony said.

"Do you travel a lot?"

"Oh yeah," Tony said. "We've been doing this job for a couple months and we've already been to four different continents."

"Wow," Abby said. "Do you ever get jet lag?"

"You adjust," Gibbs said.

"It'd be a super fun job," Abby said. "You get to travel and help people and see all these different places and experience a bunch of different things."

"It's the best job I've ever had," Tony said.

"Did you and Gibbs meet on the job or did you know each other before?"

"Met on the job," Tony answered looking fondly over at Gibbs who was getting them a room. "We hit it off immediately."

"That's cool. It'd be scary to leave your home and end up living with someone you didn't even know."

"We both learned how to cope with that in the military," Tony said. "Like LJ said, you adjust."

"I'm gonna go get the car," Gibbs said holding out a key to Tony. "We're on the third floor, room 307."

"Want us to hang out down here and help you bring the gear in?"

"I'll have the bellhop bring it up," Gibbs said.

"See ya up there."

Gibbs went one way while Tony and Abby went the other. After twenty hours on the plane it was nice to have a room to settle in to.

The group got unpacked and set their gear up. They could see the target apartment building better than they thought they'd be able to from the window of their room and even better from their balcony. They wouldn't be able to see in any of the windows but they could see when the lights came on and everyone who was coming and going.

"One of us could always go over there," Tony suggested in a tone that told Gibbs a joke was coming up. "LJ, you speak German. I think with a little change of wardrobe you could pass as a German dude."

"How about some lederhosen!" Abby teased.

Tony high-fived her behind Gibbs' back and before he knew what was happening, he felt Gibbs' hand connect with the back of his head. "Hey!" he protested. "You know what that does to me."

"And you should know by now that it's coming when you say stupid things," Gibbs said.

"I didn't say anything stupid," Tony said. "Abby did. Where's her head slap?"

"Never slap a girl," Gibbs said raising his binoculars and looking towards the apartment again.

"I could hack into the records and see who's renting apartments," Abby offered.

"Can you do it without getting caught?" Tony asked as he readied the camera to take pictures of anyone coming and going from the place.

"I have mad skills," Abby said. "Of course I can do it without getting caught."

"Don't wanna piss off the Germans," Tony said. "We might need their cooperation with some of this."

With them in position and everything set up, they settled for the wait, however long it was going to be, and got busy searching for whoever was responsible for the crime.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: One Less Scumbag**

The rest of the day was spent familiarizing themselves with the area, photographing everyone who came and went from the apartment building and running facial recognition on everybody. They weren't having much luck but short of barging in and illegally searching all the residences on the third, fourth and fifth floors it was their only option. No more pictures had appeared on the internet yet but knowing the possibilities of what was happening to Teagan made it hard to do so little to help her.

Tony returned with dinner, making him the hero for the moment. It was nice to break up the monotony of their task and whatever he'd brought smelled delicious.

"Schnitzel and pomme frites," Tony said when he saw Gibbs and Abby salivating over the containers he was pulling out of the bag. "This is another perk of the job, Abs," he said as he handed her a box of food, "authentic food from all over the world!"

"Hand it over," Gibbs said impatiently. "Been a long time since I've had schnitzel."

Tony passed Gibbs his dish with a smile on his face. "Are we staying up all night?"

"I don't think that's necessary," Gibbs said. "It'll just make us tired tomorrow."

"Hopefully we'll have a little more luck tomorrow," Abby said.

"We'll get up early, snap photos of everyone leaving for work," Gibbs said around a mouthful of food.

"I was able to track those pictures Bryce emailed you guys back to that apartment building but there's no way to tell which apartment," Abby said. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize," Gibbs said while Tony mouthed the words. "Sign of weakness. Besides, it tells us that our guy is for sure in that building and not one of these other ones."

"I was just hoping I could pin it down to something a little more exact," Abby said. "You guys are right, this is really good."

"Don't find food like this in America too often," Tony said.

After their meal, the group cleaned up then decided to call it a night. Most of the activity on the street had died down and it was getting late. After traveling all day and knowing they had to get up early the following day they went to bed.

* * *

Tony woke sometime in the middle of the night, the eleven hour time difference messing with him. Abby was in the bed next them, still sleeping peacefully judging by the steady, deep breathing coming from her side of the room. Gibbs was right next to him, lying on his side, facing Tony. Tony scooted a little closer, inhaling his lover's soothing scent. It was the smell of peace and safety. Tony always knew everything would be okay when he smelled the familiar scent.

He reached out and brushed his finger tips across Gibbs' bare chest, wanting to touch him. He leaned over and gently pressed a loving kiss to Gibbs' forehead while Gibbs continued to sleep. He traced Gibbs' lips with his finger and felt Gibbs' lips pucker into a kiss.

"What's wrong?" Gibbs whispered softly.

"I'm bored," Tony said.

Gibbs ran his hand up Tony's side then pulled it across his chest. "Is that what you want?" he asked quietly. "Some lovin'?"

"Always," Tony said.

Gibbs pressed a kiss to Tony's lips and nuzzled noses with him. "What's on your mind? You're tense."

Tony ghosted his fingers across Gibbs' bare chest again before meeting his eyes. "I wanna go get Teagan."

"So do I," Gibbs said, "but we can't yet."

"It's hard to sleep knowing she's so close."

"We don't know that for sure yet," Gibbs said.

"We'll move fast, right? We won't leave her over there for long."

"Fast and accurate. We won't leave her over there a second longer than we have to."

"If I had a kid I would never let 'em outta my sight."

"You can't smother 'em," Gibbs said. "Then they grow up with a whole other set of problems."

"The world is a terrifying place."

"It is but it's also a beautiful place."

"We'll get Teagan back and make her world beautiful again," Tony said confidently.

"Yes we will," Gibbs agreed. "Think you can go back to sleep now?"

"I'll try," Tony whispered. "Will you hold me?"

"You don't even have to ask," Gibbs said wrapping his arms around his lover and tugging him closer.

* * *

Gibbs was in the shower when the alarm went off leaving Tony to find the phone and shut off. He grumbled as he fumbled around before finally finding the phone, shutting the alarm off and not very gently tossing it back onto the end table.

"You okay?" Abby asked.

"Yeah," Tony muttered.

"The sound of an alarm clock is like the worst sound in the world," Abby said. "I changed mine to play a song. It's a little gentler way to wake up."

"LJ's very old school," Tony said. "His alarm clock is an actual alarm clock sound. Hell, his ringtone is an actual phone ringing. He refuses to be more creative with it."

The two shared a laugh as they sat up and brushed the sleep out of their eyes before stretching and yawning. Everyone took turns in the shower and got dressed. Gibbs went out to get breakfast while the other two got ready and started photographing their marks. He returned not long after, sipping coffee with a brown paper bag in his hand.

"What'd you bring us?" Tony asked excitedly.

"Bread," Gibbs answered, "freshly baked. It's still warm. Got coffee too and an energy drink for you, Abs."

"Thank you," both said at once.

Gibbs and Tony spent the next couple hours photographing people and recording the times that people were coming and going while Abby ran facial recognition and continued trying to hack into the apartment's resident list. The morning was turning out to be just as tedious as the previous day.

"Finally!" Abby exclaimed out of nowhere.

Both Gibbs and Tony turned to look at her.

"Got something?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah, the list of residents," Abby said proudly. "I'll start running names. Hopefully something will stick out."

"Great," Tony said happily. They were making progress. "I'll help."

Not long after her first declaration, Abby felt like she had a viable lead to share. "After a little hacking I can tell you guys one of our tenants has a record," she said.

"Who?" Gibbs asked. "What for?"

"Trevor Stinson, he's an American citizen," Abby answered. "He went to prison after being convicted of distributing child porn and attempted kidnapping. He rolled on the others in the kiddy porn ring, got a lighter sentence and apparently moved to Germany when he got out to continue his sick, evil ways."

"Sounds like a good lead," Tony said.

"Any employment records?" Gibbs asked.

"None that I can find," Abby said.

"He probably has millions hidden away from his little business before he got caught," Tony said.

"I'm checking into his financials now," Abby said. "Everyone else in the building is clean."

"That's gotta be our guy," Gibbs said. "Let us know when you've got more."

While Abby continued her computer work, Gibbs looked through the surveillance photos and Tony headed out for more coffee and to get some lunch. None of the people they'd photographed coming or going from the building were Stinson.

Tony returned and they enjoyed their lunch while they continued working. They got a layout of the apartment building and discovered Stinson was staying in a room on the fourth floor of the building, facing their hotel and the Main Tower. Their notes from the previous night told them that that had been one of the windows they'd seen lights on in so they knew he was home. If he had millions stashed away there was no reason for him to leave and with a young, kidnapped child it'd be risky to take her out in public with him as well as leave her at home alone.

Not long after lunch Abby gasped dramatically. "Oh my gosh!" she said, a horrified tone in her voice.

"What is it?" Tony asked moving over to the computer with her.

"I think I found an entire network of perverts trading kiddy porn," Abby said. "In order to join you have to produce some of your own. The members share with each other so there's always plenty to go around. There's a onetime $10,000 membership fee and an additional $1,000 in yearly dues."

"Our guy's a part of this?" Gibbs asked.

"Our guy appears to be the ringleader," Abby said. "All the money goes to a bogus company in his grandfather's name."

"Is Grandpa involved?" Tony asked.

"Unlikely," Abby said. "He's been dead for ten years."

Gibbs smirked at Abby's answer while Tony made a face.

"That's enough to storm the place," Tony said.

"Let's call Bryce, see how he wants to handle this," Gibbs said. "We wanna get as many of these bastards as we can."

They video conferenced with Bryce and brought him up to speed on everything they'd learned. He was horrified at their discovery but happy to be able to get another group of perverts off the street.

"Get in there, get Teagan, get Stinson," Bryce said. "Collect anything and everything that could be used as evidence and bring it back with you. We'll hand it over to the FBI and let them track down the members of this network. I'll call the German authorities and notify them of what's going down. Make me proud, boys."

"We won't let you down," Tony said before cutting the connection. "How do we wanna do this?" he asked. "This guy hasn't left his apartment since we've been here. We know he's in there."

"I know this sounds crazy," Gibbs said, "but let's just knock on the door. One of us will knock, the other will stand off to the side. When he opens the door we'll take him down."

"That's either the dumbest thing I've ever heard and it's going to completely blow up in our faces or it's so brilliantly crazy it's going to work," Tony said.

"Let's hope for the second," Gibbs said. "You wanna knock or stand to the side?"

"You speak German," Tony said. "I'll let you knock. You can pretend to be maintenance or something."

"Abs, you stay here," Gibbs said. "We'll call you over to help us with Teagan and evidence collecting once to coast is clear."

"Okay," Abby said. "Just be careful."

"Don't worry about us," Tony said with a wink. "We'll be fine."

Gibbs stripped down to his undershirt and put a bulletproof vest on. He dug a t-shirt out of his bag to go with the maintenance man look and put that on. "How do I look?" he asked Tony.

"You got the maintenance man look down but the vest is a little too obvious," Tony said. He grabbed Gibbs' plain black jacket and tossed it to him. "Put that on. Should hide it."

Gibbs put the jacket on and Tony turned him around before approving of the look then they both tucked their weapons away before heading across the street. The apartment building wasn't locked so they walked right in and headed up the stairs. Tony positioned himself off to the side, out of sight then Gibbs knocked.

"Maintenance," he said in German. "The apartment above you flooded. We need to check your ceiling." He glanced at Tony and they shrugged at each other. It may have been one of the oldest tricks in the book but it was effective.

They both saw the shadow of Stinson's feet move over to the door then quickly move away. When they heard him rummaging around in his apartment, Gibbs kicked the door in and they entered with their guns drawn.

"Federal Agents. It's over, Stinson," Gibbs said as he and Tony started clearing the apartment in search of their perp.

When they made it to the bedroom, they found Stinson pulling a gun out of his nightstand.

"Drop it or we'll drop you," Tony said.

"I'm not going back to prison," Stinson said.

Gibbs and Tony watched as the man hesitated only briefly before raising his gun at them. Two shots rang out, one of them delivering a bullet through Stinson's head, the other through his heart, and the man dropped lifelessly to the floor.

"One less scumbag in the world," Tony said, kicking Stinson's gun away while Gibbs checked for a pulse. "I don't know why they ever let sex offenders out of prison. They never change."

"He got off way too easy," Gibbs said. "Took the coward's way out."

"At least we know he won't reoffend," Tony said.

"Polizist."

Gibbs and Tony turned to see two German police officers entering the bedroom.

"Gibbs und DiNozzo?" the officer asked.

Gibbs and Tony cocked their heads in confusion, wondering how the man knew their names.

"Your state department called," the officer said in German. "He is dead?"

"Pulled a gun on us," Gibbs answered, also speaking German. "We didn't have much of a choice."

A noise in the closet drew everyone's attention. They drew their guns and Gibbs opened the skinny closet door. Inside were two young children dressed in underwear and t-shirts, Teagan and a little boy they didn't recognize. Guns were put away as Tony grabbed Teagan and Gibbs grabbed the little boy and took them out of the room, away from their dead tormentor.

"What's your name?" Tony asked.

" Teagan," the little girl answered cautiously.

"We've been looking for you, Teagan," Tony said with a smile.

"Who has?"

"Your mommy and daddy and lots and lots of police officers.

"I telled the man I couldn't go with him but he didn't listened to me," Teagan said.

"We don't have to worry about the man anymore," Tony said. "He's not ever gonna hurt anybody again."

"He didn't hurt me," Teagan said. "We just played lots of games but some of them weren't very fun but I wanna go home now. Can I go home?"

"You sure can, Sweetheart," Tony said.

"What's your name, big guy?" Gibbs asked.

The little boy didn't answer. Instead he buried his face in Gibbs' chest. Gibbs asked again in German but got no response.

"That's Eli," Teagan said.

"Where's Eli from?" Gibbs asked.

Teagan shrugged and smiled up at the agent. "He came with us on a big, big plane," she said trying to be helpful.

"Does he speak English, like us or German?" Gibbs asked.

"He speaks English, silly!" Teagan said with a cute little giggle. "We don't know how to talk German."

"Do you know how old he is?" Gibbs asked.

"He's this many," Teagan said holding up four fingers. "And I'm this many."

"He's four and you're six?" Tony asked.

Teagan nodded.

Gibbs had a brief conversation with the polizei and they decided the little boy would return to America with Gibbs and Tony along with Teagan. He was apparently American and if he didn't speak or understand German it would be nothing short of cruel to leave him in Germany, alone and scared.

While the Germans took care of Stinson's body, Gibbs, Tony and Abby collected all the evidence in the apartment. The pictures on the internet were nothing compared to what they found in the apartment. The pictures Bryce had emailed them had been of Teagan partially clothed and sometimes naked in sexual poses but in his apartment there were pictures of both kids in various stages of undress, playing with Stinson's naked body and in explicit poses with each other.

Tony handed Teagan off to Abby then raced to the bathroom and emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet. He knew it existed and he'd done his best to try to prepare himself for what they might find but going from pictures of partially clothed little kids circulating the internet to pictures of them engaged in sexual activity was beyond what his stomach could handle.

"You alright?" Gibbs asked as he handed Tony a damp paper towel.

Tony wiped his mouth and threw away the paper towel then turned to see Gibbs still holding Eli. The little boy had been attached to him since they'd found him in the closet. He whined every time Gibbs tried to put him down or hand him off to someone else. "'m okay. Sorry."

"Don't be," Gibbs said.

"Right," Tony said as he stood. "Rule six."

Gibbs gave half a smile as he nodded. "Let's get this over with so we can get out of here."

"Gladly," Tony said. "You can feel the evil in this place."

They spent the next several hours collecting mountains of evidence and photographing the scene. Teagan talked on and on about her favorite cartoon and showed off some of her favorite toys. She insisted none of them were as cool as the toys she had at her other home but they were okay to play with till she got home. She seamlessly switched to talking about some of the 'games' she and Eli had played with Stinson, not understanding how wrong it truly was. The adults realized that was both a blessing a curse. The kid—both kids would need some extensive therapy.

"Alright," Gibbs said when they were finally finished, "let's call Ace, call Bryce, get some dinner and get the hell outta here."

Teagan clasped her hand over her mouth and widened her eyes at Gibbs. "You said a bad word!"

"I'm sorry, Sweetie," Gibbs said. "I won't say it again."

"Trevor sayed bad words sometimes too," Teagan said. She grabbed onto Tony's outstretched hand and the group headed across the street to their room. They still had to do a little packing and would make their couple phone calls from their room before they left.

"I'll call Ace while you get Bryce up on the screen," Gibbs said once they were finished packing.

"One of these days I'm gonna teach you how to connect to Bryce on the computer," Tony teased. "It's not that hard."

"One of these days I might be interested in learning," Gibbs said dialing his phone, "but not today. Ace, time to head out."

_"Give me a half an hour," Ace said._

"See ya then. We got two little ones with us."

"_Alright," Ace said._

Tony connected the laptop to Bryce's office where the Deputy was anxiously awaiting their call. Gibbs stepped into the frame behind Tony and knelt so Bryce could see him.

"How'd it go?" Bryce asked.

"Stinson's dead. Teagan's safe," Tony answered.

"We're on our way home with her and one more," Gibbs said indicating Eli who was still settled on his hip.

"Do we have a name?" Bryce asked.

"Maybe Eli," Gibbs answered. "We'll work on that on the plane."

"I'll get a hold of Teagan's parents," Bryce said. "Great job, all of you."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: The Gibbs Has Spoken**

Both little ones were sound asleep on Gibbs when his phone started ringing. They were halfway through the twenty hour flight. The adults were restless but happy to finally have the kids settled down. Tony managed to get Gibbs' phone off his belt and out from under Eli.

"It's Bryce," he said, holding up the phone so Gibbs could see the caller ID.

"Answer it," Gibbs said.

"DiNozzo," Tony said into the phone.

"DiNozzo, it's Bryce, I wanted to give you guys a heads up. Teagan's parents are on their way to Hawaii to meet you. Your doctor's on his way too. You'll be going back to a house full. I want Dr. Mallard to check the girl out before you release her into her parents' custody. Any more info on the boy?"

"Still working on that," Tony said. "We don't even have a last name for the kid yet."

"Alright, I'll work on getting someone there to pick him up as well."

"You can hold off on that," Tony said. "The little tyke's really taken to LJ. He can hang out with us till we find a relative. Shouldn't take too long."

"If you're sure." It was more of a question than a statement.

Tony glanced over at Gibbs who nodded. "We're sure," Tony said. He ended the conversation with Bryce and gave Gibbs his phone back. "Teagan's parents are on their way to Hawaii. So is Dr. Mallard. They'll beat us there."

Gibbs nodded at the new information. He was happy about reuniting Teagan with her parents and hoping the same for Eli.

"You probably heard but I told Bryce that Eli could hang out with us till we find a relative."

"That's fine," Gibbs said before pressing a gentle kiss to the child's head. "How're we doing on finding him, Abs?"

"Not so hot," Abby said. "With no time frame to search in, no specific location and a fairly popular name it's gonna take awhile. Not to mention Eli's probably short for something... Elijah, Elliot, Elias, I could go on."

"Why don't you take a break, Abs," Gibbs suggested. "You've been working hard."

Abby smiled. "That's what I do. Besides, it's not like there's much to do on the plane."

"We could watch a movie," Tony suggested.

"I wanna watch a movie," Teagan said sleepily.

"Well look who's up," Tony said, taking the little girl from Gibbs.

"Maybe I could take a short break to watch a cartoon," Abby said.

Tony took Teagan to the bathroom then he and Abby sat down with her to watch a movie while Gibbs cuddled with a still sleeping Eli. Their laughter filling the formerly somber air was a natural stress reliever for all of them. It would take a little longer to shake this case off than it usually did.

Eli woke a short time later and Gibbs joined the others in front of the TV. Work was put on hold while they watched movies and colored with the kids. Their best hope at finding Eli's family was a fingerprint match or possibly even a DNA match once they landed. There were too many missing kids and so many factors, the biggest one being how much the little boy's appearance could've changed since he'd gone missing.

Despite everything the kids had been through, they were still happy-go-lucky kids. Eli was quieter and clingier than Teagan but still giggly and playful. The adults realized the kids probably didn't remember life being any different. Their normal was far from what it should've been.

"Howdy all," JT said on his way to the lavatory. "We'll be landing shortly. You probably wanna buckle up."

"Thanks," Tony said collecting the slew of sloppily colored pages covering the table.

Teagan settled in on Abby's lap and both watched out the window while Eli tucked his thumb back into his mouth and closed his eyes. Tony moved a strand of the little boy's hair behind his ear and smiled at him when Eli looked up.

It was morning in Hawaii when Ace and JT landed the plane at the small airfield on the western side of the island. Gibbs and Tony were once again thankful that getting home was only a matter of driving across the street and not driving the forty five minutes it took to get there from Honolulu International Airport. After landing, they said goodbye to their pilot and co-pilot, loaded up the Jeep and headed out.

"Home sweet home!" Tony said happily as Gibbs drove down the long road to their house.

"When do you have to head back, Abby?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm yours for the duration of the case," Abby said. "If it's okay with you guys I'll hang out until we can figure out where Eli belongs. I could even fly home with him on my way home. I can check into my hotel though. Sounds like there might not be enough room at your house."

"We'll make room," Gibbs said. "You're more than welcome to stay with us."

"Thanks," Abby said.

Gibbs backed into their driveway and they all got out. There was a note on the door from Ducky asking Gibbs to call him when he got in. Apparently he was having breakfast with Teagan's parents while they waited. Gibbs put the call in while they unloaded their things then they got settled in at home once again. It wasn't long before the doorbell was ringing, announcing their guests' arrival.

Tony walked Teagan over to the door and let her answer it with him. It was obvious it was taking all her mother's willpower not to snatch her up and smother her with hugs and kisses but she held back.

"Teagan?" the mother asked hesitantly as tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

"Mommy?" Teagan asked.

The mother gasped and pulled her daughter into a tight hug.

"Why are you crying?" Teagan asked.

"Because I missed you and I'm so happy you're back," her mother answered.

Teagan flinched when her father came near so the man stood back.

"Talk to her," Gibbs encouraged. "It's okay. Teagan, do you know who this is?"

Teagan scratched her head and studied the man then shrugged her shoulders.

"It's me, T, it's Daddy."

"T," Teagan repeated with a bright smile. "Daddy!" She reached for the man and was immediately swung into his arms.

"She was always a daddy's girl," the mother said. "I'm Heather, this is Cody. Thank you so much!"

Gibbs accepted the woman's hug with a smile. "Happy to help," he said.

"Can we take her?" Cody asked.

"I'd like to have a quick look at her before you go," Ducky said, "just to make sure everything's in order. We can do it here and of course you can be present."

"I'll stay with her," Heather said.

Gibbs showed them to the spare room no one was staying in yet and made sure Ducky had everything he needed. They'd been receiving packages of his supplies ever since they'd learned he was coming. While Ducky checked Teagan out and took a blood sample for further testing, Gibbs, Tony and Abby sat with the father who could only thank them profusely for getting his child back. After recommendations to seek counseling and see the family physician, Teagan and her parents said their goodbyes and left.

"Alright, big man," Tony said to Eli, "do you think you can part with LJ long enough to let me get a fingerprint." He held his arms out to the little boy and after thinking about it for an extended amount of time, Eli let Tony take him into the war room where Abby was.

"Welcome to Hawaii, Duck," Gibbs said giving his friend a warm hug. "Thanks for coming."

"Are you kidding? This sounds like the adventure of a lifetime," Ducky said. "I'm honored to have been invited along. Do I need to check into a hotel? There are a lot more bodies in this house than there are rooms."

"Nah," Gibbs said. "We'll make room. Abby's staying in one guest room, we'll put you in the other and the sectional pulls out into a sleeper. Eli can sleep there."

"And you and Tony?"

Gibbs smiled. "He and I will be in the master bedroom."

"Oh," Ducky said with a knowing smile. "How long has that been going on?"

Gibbs shrugged. Things between him and Tony had moved kind of fast but there was no point in waiting. "Since shortly after he and I moved here."

"Congratulations, Jethro," Ducky said.

"Thanks."

* * *

"Can you put your finger right here, Eli?" Abby asked, showing him where to touch the screen.

Eli clenched his fist nervously as he studied the device they wanted him to touch. He didn't know what was going to happen and wasn't sure if he wanted to touch it or not.

"Watch me," Tony said. He touched the screen then pointed at the computer where a picture of his fingerprint popped up. "See, easy and it didn't hurt a bit. Now it's your turn."

Abby held the screen out to the little boy again and Eli let Tony help him get his finger on it. Once his fingerprint popped up on the screen, the four year old scurried back into the living room and took a flying leap into Gibbs' arms.

While Tony and Abby waited to see if the fingerprint was going to give them any information, Ducky checked Eli over. The little boy let Ducky look him over without protesting once, not even when he got the needle out to draw some blood.

"Worse comes to worse, perhaps his DNA can give us some clues about where this young man belongs," Ducky said.

"We'll hand it off to the FBI when they come to collect the evidence we collected in Germany," Gibbs said.

"No luck with the fingerprint," Abby said.

"If he was little when he was grabbed maybe his parents just hadn't gotten him fingerprinted," Tony suggested. "DNA's our best bet now although Abby and I are once again scanning through photos."

"What happens if we can't find his parents?" Abby asked quietly.

"We'll find 'em," Gibbs said confidently.

Tony looked over at Abby and smiled. "The Gibbs has spoken. LJ's never wrong."

"Do you guys wanna make some lunch while Ducky and I put Eli in the tub?" Gibbs asked.

"As long as spaghetti's okay," Tony said. That was all he really knew how to cook.

"I think we can do better than spaghetti," Abby said.

"Yeah," Gibbs said, "teach him how to make something else, would ya, Abs?"

"Hey!" Tony objected. "You have no room to talk. The only thing you know how to make is steak!"

"I grill lots of things," Gibbs said.

"Come on, Tony," Abby said, grabbing his arm and tugging him along behind her, "I'll show you how to make chicken strips. I'll even give you my secret breading recipe so you can wow LJ."

The doorbell rang before Gibbs and Ducky could get down the hall to the bathroom with Eli. Two FBI agents had arrived to collect the evidence they'd retrieved from Stinson's apartment and the blood samples they'd taken from the kids. Once they were gone, Gibbs headed to the bathroom where Ducky was having an impossible time trying to persuade Eli to get into the tub.

"Oh Jethro, thank goodness," Ducky said. "I think we might be a little intimidated about bath time."

"I don't know of many little boys who like bath time," Gibbs said with a smile. He lifted Eli into his arms and hugged him tight. "You ready to get in, Kiddo?"

Eli looked down at the water then back at Gibbs and shook his head.

"We won't stay in long," Gibbs said, "but we've gotta get you cleaned up a little bit. You haven't had a bath in a couple days. You're gonna get stinky." He plugged his nose and made a silly face at the little boy and Eli laughed.

Eli let Gibbs put him in the warm water and wash him up. He giggled at the bath time songs Ducky sang to him, clapping in joy and inadvertently splashing water around which only made him laugh harder.

"He's a happy little guy," Ducky said.

"I wish we could get him to talk to us," Gibbs said. "He can hear, right?"

"Eli," Ducky said. The little boy turned and smiled at Ducky. "He can hear," Ducky said, winking at Eli. "Everybody handles trauma differently, Jethro. Some people shut down."

"He's happy though," Gibbs said as he pulled the plug. Eli stood and Gibbs wrapped him in a towel before lifting him into his arms.

"You can be happy and still express joy even when you've been traumatized," Ducky explained. "It's a little harder but Eli's so young I doubt he fully comprehends everything that happened to him."

"How do we help him?"

"It'll take time," Ducky said, watching Gibbs comb the little boy's hair. "For him the biggest trauma was probably being taken from his home, from his parents, from the only things he's known. A lot of kids are shy around strangers, won't talk to them, even hide behind their parents. Eli's parents aren't around for him to hide behind so he's retreated within himself."

"Will he come out when he's reunited with his parents?" Gibbs pulled one of his undershirts over the boy's head to cover him up. They needed to go get him a couple outfits.

"It's difficult to tell. I would hope he would in time but it'll depend on if he's able to reconnect with them. He's happy, well-adjusted; I have high hopes."

"Now we've just gotta find his parents," Gibbs said before turning to Eli, "don't we?" Eli smiled and reached out to touch Gibbs' cheek. "Smells like lunch is almost ready. Let's go see what they made us. Are you hungry?"

Eli unconsciously opened his mouth. He was starving and whatever was cooking was making his mouth water. Gibbs stood him on the floor and the little boy held a hand out to him. Gibbs took his hand and the three of them headed for the kitchen. Abby was pulling a pan of baked macaroni and cheese out of the oven while Tony took the fried chicken strips out of the pan on the stove. There was already a bowl of sweet corn and a tray of French fries on the table.

"I didn't realize you guys were gonna fix a feast," Gibbs said as he sat Eli in one of the dining room chairs. "Looks delicious."

"It will be," Abby said confidently.

"Hope you took notes, Tony," Gibbs said.

"Uh..."

"I'll write the recipes down for you guys," Abby said. "I'll even leave you a couple others I think you might like. Have you ever had a twice baked potato?"

"I have," Gibbs said, salivating just at the thought of it. "Best dam—uh—dang potato I've ever had."

"I'll leave you that recipe too," Abby said with a laugh. "I'll make sure you guys eat well, even when I'm not around. Do you cook, Ducky?"

"I do actually," Ducky said. "I rather enjoy it too. It's a wonderful way to relieve stress and there's no better feeling than providing nourishment for those you love."

"I only just met you but I love you already, Ducky," Tony joked. "What'd the FBI say, LJ?"

"They're gonna put a rush on the DNA but it'll still take at least 24 hours," Gibbs answered. He scooped a hearty pile of mac and cheese on Eli's plate along with the corn and fries then added two chicken strips. Abby plopped a glass of milk down in front of the little boy and tickled his cheek before taking a seat at the table with the others.

"Dig in!" Tony said. "All thanks go to Abby. I merely stood around and looked cute."

"You only think you're cute," Gibbs teased.

Tony's mouth fell open in shock and Gibbs reached over and pushed it closed. "I'll remember that," Tony threatened playfully.

Gibbs winked at him as he took a big bite of one of his chicken strips.

"Do you guys mind if I borrow one of your cars after lunch?" Abby asked. "I was thinking I could go get Eli some clothes."

"Sure," Tony said, "you can borrow LJ's Jeep. It's got GPS."

"Your car doesn't?" Abby asked.

"Tony won't even let me drive his car," Gibbs said.

"You drive crazy!" Tony said.

"Would you like some company, Abby?" Ducky asked before an argument could start. "I wouldn't mind having a look around."

"I'd love the company," Abby said.

"I'll stay here and see if we can get Junior to take a nap," Gibbs said. "I know he's exhausted. You staying or going, Tony?"

"I'll stay here with you," Tony said. "I've missed you."

"You two behave yourselves," Ducky said. "Remember there are little eyes around."

"Ducky," Gibbs scolded while Tony and Abby tried to stifle their giggles. Eli giggled just because Tony and Abby were but looked cautiously at Gibbs. When Gibbs winked at the little boy, he let his laughter loose.

"You're such a cutie, Eli," Abby said.

Eli hid his face in his hands but his smile was still clearly visible. Tony reached over and ruffled his hair and the little boy peeked out at him.

"Keep eating, buddy," Tony said. "Your food's gonna get cold."

They all finished eating then Ducky and Abby headed out to explore and do some shopping while Gibbs and Tony got the kitchen cleaned up.

"How should we get Eli to sleep?" Tony asked.

"Let's just lay him down and see what happens," Gibbs said. "Maybe read him a book or sing him a song. Hopefully he's tired enough he'll just fall asleep."

"Then what are we gonna do?" Tony asked hopefully.

"As much as I want to, Tony, we shouldn't with him in the house," Gibbs said. "We don't know how long he's gonna sleep and there's nobody else here and considering what he's been through I wouldn't feel comfortable."

"I actually feel the same way," Tony said. "Little Tony doesn't but I do."

"I'll take care of Little Tony tonight," Gibbs said. "I promise."

"You haven't been inside me in forever, you know."

"Hasn't been forever," Gibbs said. "It's only been a couple days."

"Exactly," Tony said. "That might as well be forever."

"Tonight," Gibbs whispered into Tony's ear before pressing a kiss to his temple.

Eli wandered into the kitchen, tugged on Gibbs' pant leg and lifted his arms to be picked up. Gibbs dried his hands then lifted the little boy into his arms and smiled when Eli snuggled right in. He was exhausted. Getting him to sleep wasn't going to be as hard as they'd originally thought.

"If you wanna go ahead and lay him down I'll finish up in here," Tony offered. "There're only a few dishes left to wash. After that maybe we can spend some time together."

"Definitely," Gibbs said. He missed Tony as much as Tony missed him. He took Eli to the bathroom then back to their bedroom and paced around the room, bouncing him gently and holding him close. Eli's eyes roamed the room and looked out the window as he teetered on the verge of passing out from sheer exhaustion.

"Close your eyes, Eli," Gibbs whispered. "It's okay. Everything's okay. You're safe here."

Eli reached out and grabbed onto Gibbs' lower lip with a very loose grip. It wasn't long before his hand fell and his eyes closed for good. Gibbs pressed a kiss to his soft, brown hair before laying him down on the bed and covering him up. He watched him sleep for a moment to make sure he wasn't going to wake then headed out to the living room where Tony was all sprawled out on the couch. Tony sat up to make room for Gibbs and Gibbs sat down with him.

"I was thinking," Tony said as Gibbs wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close, "I could call Maleko. Maybe having another kid around, another boy, would encourage Eli to open up."

"Is it that or are you wanting another surfing lesson?" Gibbs teased.

"I do need to get back out there on the waves but this is for Eli," Tony said. "You know, you could learn to surf too."

"I have no interest in learning to surf," Gibbs said.

"I'm gonna keep nagging you till you agree to it," Tony said.

"Nag away," Gibbs said. "I can tune you out."

Tony feigned offense but quickly got over it when Gibbs kissed the side of his mouth. He turned towards his lover and they shared a couple quick kisses before things turned passionate.

"I thought you said we weren't gonna do this while Eli was sleeping," Tony whispered, kissing Gibbs once again before he could answer.

"We're not gonna make love," Gibbs replied, "but I do wanna kiss you."

Tony took Gibbs' hand and pulled it into his lap. "This is what your kisses do to me," he said, moaning as Gibbs squeezed his hardening cock.

"Nothing like a little build up before tonight rolls around," Gibbs said rubbing Tony's cock and nudging his balls before pulling his hand away.

"No," Tony whimpered at the loss of contact. "Can't you just give me a hand job or something? Please? I'm willing to beg."

"No," Gibbs answered. "If I don't get to cum yet, you don't get to cum yet."

"Who said you can't cum?" Tony asked. "You can cum. I'll give you a hand job. Hell, I'll give you a blow job!"

"Keep your voice down," Gibbs said. "No hand jobs, no blow jobs. Not with Eli in the other room."

"Ugh! Why do you hate me?"

Gibbs raised his eyebrows but couldn't hide his smirk. Tony could be quite amusing when he was being overly dramatic. "Why don't you find something to watch on TV," he said. "You can call Maleko after Eli wakes up and see if he wants to come over."

Tony stood and grabbed the remote control from next to the TV. He flipped it on over his shoulder as he made his way back over to the sectional. He settled in tucked right up against Gibbs' body, rested his head on Gibbs' shoulder and wrapped an arm around his belly. Gibbs kissed Tony's head and watched as he flipped channels.

Tony stopped on an old John Wayne western but he was only halfway paying attention to the movie. Gibbs wasn't the only one who knew how to torture people. He let his hand trail down Gibbs' belly then toyed with the button of his jeans. When Gibbs didn't stop him, he let his hand wander lower and rested it on top of Gibbs semi-erect cock. When he still didn't get a reaction out of him, he started rubbing.

Gibbs' plan to ignore Tony and try to wait him out failed when Tony started rubbing. He took Tony's hand in his and pulled it away from his cock. If Tony wasn't going to play nice he would just hold his hand. Tony pulled their hands to his mouth and started kissing Gibbs' hand and fingers before enveloping his index finger with his mouth and sucking hard. The sharp inhalation of air only encouraged Tony to suck harder. Gibbs smacked the back of Tony's head then shook his head when Tony groaned and bucked his hips.

"Do that again, LJ."

"No," Gibbs said. "Now knock it off."

"Knock what off?" Tony asked innocently. "Even though we're not gonna make love right now I wanna touch your cock and suck on your finger."

"I know exactly what you're doing," Gibbs said, "and it's not going to work."

Tony dropped his head back onto Gibbs' shoulder in protest, a little harder than he'd intended.

Gibbs smiled and kissed the top of his head. "You'll live," he said.

"I don't like having company anymore," Tony whined. "Let's kick them all out."

"How old are you? Because you're behaving worse than a horny teenager."

"I can't help it. You have that affect on me."

Gibbs wrapped both arms around Tony and held him tightly. "Watch your movie," he said. "It'll help distract you."

Tony snuggled into Gibbs' chest, enjoying the closeness and the loving embrace and turned his attention back to the TV.

Much to their dismay, Eli slept for less than an hour before he was up and wandering out to the living room again. Tony picked him up and let the little boy cuddle with them then changed the channel to cartoons. During the commercial break he pulled out his phone and called Maleko. He saw the boy on occasion out on the water and the two were getting pretty close. Maleko loved trying to teach Tony surfing moves and Tony was grateful for the help from the spunky nine year old. The boy agreed to come over as soon as his mom got home then they hung up and Tony went back to watching TV.

* * *

Ducky and Abby had very little trouble finding their way around the small island. Abby easily worked the GPS unit to get them where they needed to be while they chatted and enjoyed being out and about. The two shopped for their four year old house guest, pausing at some of the lookouts and tourist attractions. The markets were bustling with happy tourists, leisurely browsing the shelves and shopping for souvenirs.

"Living here must be like being on vacation all the time," Abby said. "You're always surrounded by happy, carefree tourists."

"It would have its perks but like everywhere else I'm sure it has its drawbacks as well," Ducky said.

"I guess," Abby said. "It's so different from where I live. Most people there are so self-centered they won't pause long enough to give you the time of day."

"That is rather unfortunate," Ducky said. "I miss the days where people actually took the time to communicate with one another. We've made some wonderful advances in technology but I can't help but think our interpersonal communication skills have suffered."

"I couldn't agree more," Abby said. "What do you think about this shirt for Eli?"

Ducky looked over at the bright blue t-shirt with the tropical turtle on it. "I like it but I don't know about Eli. Does he like turtles?"

"Don't know," Abby said. "He hasn't said a word since we found him."

"Poor boy," Ducky said. "I'm sure he'll like it but we'll get him a few different shirts. Chances are he'll like at least one of them."

"Good idea."

"Things are gonna get better for him starting right now, Ducky. We're gonna make sure of it, right?"

"That's right, my dear."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Something Special Indeed**

Tony crawled up Gibbs' prone body, smiling in the darkness of the night. They were alone and everyone else in the house was asleep. He'd been in the pool with Abby while Gibbs and Ducky were in the hot tub. They hadn't even noticed when Gibbs and Ducky had gone to bed.

Tony's cock dangled between his legs before coming to rest next to Gibbs' as he lowered his body on top of his lover's. He left a trail of kisses across Gibbs' cheek before their lips finally met.

"I was beginning to wonder if you were coming to bed tonight," Gibbs said when the all too brief kiss ended.

"You coulda told me you were going to bed," Tony replied. "I didn't even know you'd left."

"I was afraid you'd jump out of the pool and knock me over, trying to get to the bedroom. You've been pretty anxious for this."

Tony laughed. "You probably had good reason to be afraid," he admitted before claiming Gibbs' lips in another, hungrier kiss. "I hope you don't plan on sleeping tonight because I have other plans for you."

Tony rocked his hips, rubbing his hard cock against Gibbs' forcing a moan from Gibbs as he jerked his hips towards Tony.

"I should draw this out," Tony teased, "torture you. It'd be good payback for you torturing me."

"What makes you think that'd be torture?" Gibbs asked. "I know we're gonna make love. I can be patient."

"Tell that to your throbbing cock."

Gibbs just smirked into the darkness. Both of them were horny. It was going to be hard and fast but they had all night to explore and enjoy each other's bodies. "Roll over," he said reaching under his pillow for the lube, "hands and knees. I'll stretch you."

Tony obeyed instantly, his body shaking in anticipation. He heard the pop of the lube being opened then felt cool, slick fingers tugging at his dick. He dropped his head into the pillow and cried out, overwhelmed with want and need. "Please, LJ," he groaned.

He felt fingers rubbing and tugging at his balls before making their way up to his entrance. Cool lubricant was drizzled over his hole before skilled fingers started rubbing and prepping him.

Gibbs eased a finger inside Tony and reveled in the warm, tight heat. "I know you're excited but try to relax."

A couple deep breaths later, Gibbs was gliding his finger easily in and out of Tony. He added another one and then a third, easing Tony open with practiced patience despite his throbbing cock just wanting to pound into him. Tony moaned and groaned and mumbled into the pillow while he rocked against Gibbs' fingers and stroked his cock.

"Ready?" Gibbs asked as he let his fingers slip from Tony's ass.

"I've been ready for days," Tony answered. When he felt Gibbs line up he pushed back against him as Gibbs pushed in and both of them groaned.

Gibbs dropped his head to Tony's back. It felt as if every nerve ending was firing at once which was quickly overwhelming him. As he regained control, he dropped kisses all over Tony's back. He started rocking his hips again and quickly realized there was nothing he could do to slow down his release. It was going to be fast and hard.

"Don't hold off, Tony," Gibbs said, his movements already becoming erratic.

"Don't worry about me," Tony said as he reached between his legs and stroked his cock again.

Gibbs set a fast, steady pace, slamming into Tony while he held tightly to his hips. He heard Tony's breathing pattern change and felt him start stroking himself faster. The familiar moan of his release made it to Gibbs' ears just after he felt Tony tightening around his cock. The increased pressure on his sensitive dick was all it took for Gibbs to finish. The two stroked and pumped until they went soft but neither made a move to separate.

Gibbs held Tony's hips to him as they lowered themselves to the bed. They rolled to their sides so both could breathe easier and Gibbs tugged Tony tightly against him. They rested quietly, letting their breathing even out and heart rates return to normal.

"As comfortable as this is and as much as I love having your dick in my ass I wanna be able to wrap my arms around you too," Tony said softly.

"Okay," Gibbs said.

He gently pulled out and retrieved a hand full of Kleenex from the nightstand to clean them up then they cuddled up again. The shared kisses and rubbed noses while enjoying the skin to skin contact and light touches from each other.

"Feels so good to hold you," Gibbs said.

Tony tucked his head under Gibbs' chin and breathed in his scent before pressing a kiss to his chest. It felt good to be held too and to be able to hold Gibbs as well. Every part of their relationship felt natural and perfect.

Gibbs tucked a finger under Tony's chin and lifted his head so he could kiss him.

"As much as I'm enjoying our guests I'm glad it's not permanent," Tony said. "I miss walking around naked and having sex whenever and wherever we feel like it."

"Me too," Gibbs said before going after another kiss. When their kiss ended he brought his fingers to Tony's lips. Tony nibbled on Gibbs' finger before releasing it and kissing Gibbs again. Now that the sense of urgency had passed, it was time to touch and explore, kiss and lick and make sweet, passionate love. Gibbs kissed down the side of Tony's neck and over his collarbone. He found his nipple and suckled before tugging at it with his teeth and licking.

"I love it when you kiss my nipples," Tony said. "So sensitive. So good."

Gibbs responded by kissing the other one just like he'd kissed the first. "You taste good," he said.

"Are things gonna change now that Ducky lives with us?" Tony asked. It was still a little too soon for them to try to make love again and Tony had been worried what would happen when it was no longer just him and Gibbs.

"I'm sure they'll change a little bit," Gibbs answered. "We probably won't be able to make love in every room in the house anymore."

"Or the pool or the hot tub or the beach," Tony said regretfully.

"Doesn't mean we can't make it interesting."

"How so?"

"I'm sure we'll come up with something." Gibbs had a few ideas but he wasn't ready to give anything away yet.

"What about in a few months when the bureau hopefully gets approved?" Tony asked.

"Ducky'll get his own house. The others will have their own houses. We'll get a field office. What're you worried about?"

"I need you, LJ. I need the hugs and kisses. I need the touch. I need to be able to make love. The more people we have around, the harder that gets."

"We'll make it work."

"Promise me."

"I promise."

"Do you need all this as much as I do? Because to be brutally honest, I need you so much it scares the shit out of me and I'm not talking about just needing to have sex. I need it all. The whole package."

Gibbs brushed his fingers across Tony's cheek and leaned in for a soft, sweet kiss. "It scares me too," he admitted. "Our jobs are dangerous. I've already lost my family once, Tony. I don't think I could go through that again."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"I hope not," Gibbs said, running his fingers through the hair on Tony's chest before toying with one of his nipples.

"Show me," Tony breathed as he rubbed his still soft cock up against Gibbs'. "Show me how much you need me."

Gibbs shared a passionate kiss with his Tony as his hand wandered down Tony's belly. He felt the shivers dancing across Tony's skin as he continued lower. As Tony continued grinding their hips together, Gibbs could feel his cock hardening as well as Tony's. It was only the beginning of a very long night and they were going to enjoy every single second of it.

* * *

Gibbs knelt behind Eli and lathered his bare back and belly with sunscreen. The sun was rising high in the sky and the last thing they needed was a sunburned four year old.

"Do you need some sunscreen, Maleko?" he asked.

"No way," Maleko said. "I'm tan. I never burn."

"Okay, just thought I'd check."

He returned to the patio where Tony was sitting with Ducky and Abby. Tony had his laptop, going through more missing children reports. They'd long ago finished with all males by the name of Eli and had moved on to searching through all males between the ages of three and six.

"Any luck?" Gibbs asked.

"No," Tony grumbled. He was so frustrated and felt like they weren't getting anywhere. "It doesn't help that we have nothing to go on. This kid could be anybody."

"He talked!" Maleko shouted from the beach where he was building sandcastles with Eli. "Eli talked to me!" The nine year old had been over the previous afternoon and really hit it off with Eli so he'd returned that morning. Tony had tasked him with trying to get Eli to talk but so far he hadn't had any luck. Maleko raced over to where the adults were, jumping up and down with excitement.

"What'd he say?" Tony asked.

"He said potty," Maleko said.

"Potty?" Gibbs asked as Eli walked up behind Maleko. "Do you need to go potty, Eli?"

Eli nodded as he reached down and started holding himself. "Potty."

"Let's go," Gibbs said with a smile.

As soon as Gibbs and Eli disappeared inside the house, Tony gave Maleko a high five. "Awesome work, dude."

"You owe me," Maleko said.

"Let me know when you wanna collect," Tony said.

Gibbs returned with Eli and a man in a suit looking very official. "This is FBI Agent Drew Grady," he said. "This is Tony, Maleko, Abby and Ducky. Have a seat. We can talk here."

"We got a hit on Eli's DNA," Grady said. "His full name in Cayden Elliot Bates. He's from Lawton, Oklahoma, went missing a year ago."

"Cayden!" the little boy said as he clapped his hands in excitement.

"Is that your name?" Gibbs asked. "Are you Cayden?"

"Cayden! That me!"

"That is you," Gibbs said with a warm smile.

"Here's the missing persons file and his parents' phone number," Grady said. "I figured I'd let you guys make the phone call."

"Thank you, Agent Grady," Gibbs said extending his arm to shake the man's hand.

"Do you want me to arrange for an agent to escort him home?" Grady asked.

"Abby's getting ready to fly home to DC," Gibbs said. "We'll let her drop him off on the way. We appreciate it though. Just figured it'd be better to keep him with her since he knows her."

"Works for me," Grady said. "I'll leave you guys to your afternoon."

Agent Grady saw himself out while the adults celebrated learning Cayden's identity. Gibbs pulled out his cell phone and made the phone call to his parents. The screaming and sobbing on the other end of the phone went on and on after Gibbs gave Cayden's mother the news.

"He's been pretty quiet since we found him but I can try to get him to talk to you if you'd like," Gibbs said.

"Oh please!" the woman said. "I would love that."

Gibbs scooped Cayden into his lap and put the phone on speaker. "Okay, we're on speaker phone," he said so Cayden's mother knew what was going on. "Cayden, can you say hi to Mommy?"

Cayden looked from Gibbs to the phone but remained silent.

"Cayden, baby, are you there?"

"Mommy?"

"Cayden!"

"Where are you?"

"I'm at home, baby. Agent Gibbs is going to take you to get on a plane to come home to me and Daddy."

"Daddy?"

"Daddy's at work, honey, but he'll be here when you get home. I'll make sure he's here. We'll both be here. I love you so much, baby boy. I never stopped looking for you."

"Mommy, I wanna come home."

"Agent Gibbs is going to get you a plane ticket. You'll be home real soon. Really soon."

Cayden smiled brightly up at Gibbs and Gibbs smiled back.

"I'll give you a call and let you know flight numbers and arrival times as soon as I know," Gibbs told the mother. "We'll get him on the first flight out of here."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Not a problem," Gibbs said before hanging up.

Abby wiped a happy tear from her eye while Cayden squealed and giggled in delight at hearing his mother's voice. Tony searched his laptop for plane tickets. "You okay with flying out tonight, Abby?"

"Of course," Abby said. "I'm gonna miss you guys and I'll definitely miss it here but getting this little guy home is top priority."

"We're definitely going to miss you too," Tony assured her.

"We wouldn't have been able to solve this case with you, Abby," Gibbs said. Her computer savvy had provided all the leads.

"Call me if you ever need help in the future and I mean that!" she said.

"We definitely will," Tony said. "Looks like I can get you guys a seat on an American Airlines flight departing at 8:37 tonight. You'll have to make two stops but the layovers aren't too long."

"Wow, there's a flight out that late?" Abby asked.

"Most flights leaving out of Honolulu are later on in the evening," Tony said. "That puts you back on the mainland the next morning and what better way to pass the time on a plane than sleep it away."

"I guess that makes sense," Abby said. "That flight will be fine."

* * *

Tony parked the Mustang in short term parking at the airport and they all piled out. Everyone had come along to see Abby and Cayden off. Both of them would be greatly missed. Gibbs grabbed onto Cayden's hand as they made their way through the parking lot towards the airport. He'd bonded with Cayden as much as Cayden had bonded with him. He was glad the little boy was going home to his parents but he was definitely going to miss him. Cuddling and story time, bath time and playtime, it all reminded Gibbs of an earlier chapter in his life.

"Make sure you guys write and tell me how you're doing," Abby instructed. "I left you my home and work address and my e-mail address. You can call me too, any time. I never sleep so you don't have to worry about time zones or waking me up or anything like that."

"We'll be sure to keep in touch, Abs," Tony promised.

"I'm gonna miss you guys," Abby said.

"We're gonna miss you too, Abby," Gibbs said. "We had a lot of fun having you here."

"Don't make me cry," Abby teased.

Gibbs gave her a one armed hug before lifting Cayden into his arms. "We're gonna miss you too, Buddy."

"You can come too," Cayden offered.

"I gotta stay here and help Tony catch the bad guys," Gibbs said.

"And help more kids find Mommy and Daddy?"

"That's right," Gibbs said.

"Okay," Cayden said.

Gibbs kissed the top of the little boy's head then handed him off to Tony to say his goodbyes. He hugged Abby and left her with a kiss on the cheek then Abby got a hug from Ducky and finally Tony. Once they'd said their goodbyes, Gibbs, Tony and Ducky watched Abby and Cayden go through the security checkpoint and disappear back to the terminals. The three of them stood there for several moments just staring at the hall their guests had disappeared down.

"I don't know about you guys but I'm not much in the mood to sit around the house tonight," Tony said. "It's gonna be too empty."

"What'd you have in mind?" Gibbs asked.

Tony shrugged. "We could hit the bar."

"Duck?"

"I wouldn't mind a drink," Ducky said.

"Let's go to the bar," Gibbs said. "I'll warn you right up front, Tony, if you get drunk, I'm driving the Mustang home."

"I can live with that," Tony said.

"That's kind of the point."

* * *

Gibbs and Tony hadn't been around long enough to know which bars were the good ones to go to and which ones to avoid. They decided on Mercury, a nearby bar that they'd heard good things about. It supposedly had live music, good service and creative bartenders. They made their way to a table out of the way of most of the activity. The place was bustling, most likely with tourists.

"Hi guys, I'm Marci. What can I get for you?"

Everyone ordered a drink and Tony ordered a pu pu platter. Gibbs glared across the table at Tony after Marci disappeared to put their order in.

"What?" Tony asked with a shrug. "It's just appetizers."

Gibbs laughed and rolled his eyes. "I think the only reason you ordered it was because of what it's called."

Tony considered the possibility then nodded. "A good name is catchy," he said, "and it can draw you to something whether it's a book or a movie or a fun name for an appetizer."

Their drinks arrived and the group enjoyed their alcohol.

"Welcome to Hawaii, Ducky," Tony said holding his glass up.

"Welcome to the team, Duck," Gibbs said holding his glass up as well.

Ducky clinked glasses with the guys then they all took a drink. "Thank you. I'm honored to have been chosen for such an important undertaking."

"Too bad Abby couldn't stay," Tony said.

"I'm gonna miss her," Gibbs said.

"She was a lot of fun and a hard worker... good at what she does," Tony added.

"Next time we talk to Bryce, we'll mention it to him," Gibbs said. "Maybe when the program gets approved in a few months he can get her assigned to our team."

"Good idea," Tony said.

"Until then it's out of our hands," Gibbs said. "We've got Ducky now and four successful cases under our belts. We're definitely moving in the right direction."

"Before you know it we'll be approved and have a full team," Tony said.

"I know I just arrived but this is all very exciting," Ducky said. "We are definitely a part of something special here."

"You can say that again, Ducky," Gibbs said. "Something special indeed."

**The End**


End file.
